New Hampton Tribune

Experts: Do your part not to spread flu

So far, Iowa bucking national trend when it comes to illness but officials worry about uptick

By:

James Grob

If you’re coming down with the flu, there are a lot of things you can do, but one thing is among the most important.

Stay home.

Keep it to yourself.

“If you have symptoms, stay home,” said Kathy Babcock, RN, Administrator at Chickasaw County Public Health and Home Care Services. “Keep yourself warm and don’t spread it.”

If the flu’s already hit — you’ll know if you have a fever, fatigue and muscle aches as well as respiratory symptoms like a cough or congestion — the best thing to do is stay home from work or other activities, or keep your children home from school, to prevent its spread.

“Wash your hands thoroughly and often and isolate yourself,” said Babcock. “That’s the best thing you can do.”

While the rest of the country is currently seeing a spike in flu cases, that hasn’t yet made it to Iowa. But make no mistake, the flu is coming.

“It’s on the climb, we’re seeing that,” said Babcock. “We’ve seen cases of influenza, and the respiratory stuff is coming around.”

The U.S. Center for Disease Control’s report for the week ending Dec. 23 showed most of the country with a high amount of flu cases, while Iowa had low or minimal flu activity. Iowa was one of only a handful of states not yet experiencing widespread influenza activity.